NAN-H-109
Justice
By Edith Nwapi
Abuja, May 18, 2017 (NAN) Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, the Executive Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PAC-AC) said on Thursday in Abuja that Justice for All (J4A) had been of immense benefit in Nigeria.
J4A is an NGO that has been supporting better service delivery at the federal, state and local levels in the Judiciary Sector with focus on improving human rights and access to justice for poor and disadvantaged members of society, including woman and children.
Bolaji, who was speaking during a close out and valedictory ceremony of J4A in Abuja, said that there were some thematic areas in which the organisation recorded success.
He said that the areas they recorded success were in safety, security, justice, anti-corruption and empowerment of civil society, among others.
“J4A recognised the importance of coordination and cooperation among justice sector institutions. It thus supported the creation of a platform through which regular engagement and interaction could talk place.
“This initiative in my view is a major legacy. I can say this now because PAC-AC learns from this model by recommending to government a high level interagency platform for conversation on the anti-corruption issue.
“That platform the enables agencies to talk to each other and build synergy critical to meeting the objective of government.
“J4A without doubt has been of immense benefit to Nigeria,“ he said.
He said that discussion on the impact of J4A must not rely only on theoretical reports but the testimony of ordinary beneficiaries.
“Those of us who regard ourselves as close to the ground often hear testimonies that may never make it into the books.’’
Awosanoye said that as part of the justice component of J4A, it supported a whole range of measures in the area of economic justice, notably the improvement of service delivery in commercial courts.
He said that Lagos was the focal area, adding that the state started with a baseline survey on the progress of cases in commercial courts, needs assessment of those courts and capacity building for judges who preside over the courts.
“Also, infrastructure support to improve service delivery such as the furnishing of the Fast Track Court Registry and the monthly progress.
“Lagos Judiciary improved incrementally from one level to another. Although I am not a judge, I speak here as a friend of the judiciary, especially the Lagos judiciary.
“Today, turnaround time for adjudication improved. You may ask how and why because through J4A interventions and recommendations, Lagos judiciary responded proactively under its past and current leadership and designated specific courts for fast track cases,“ he said.
He said that the success of the initiative prompted the judiciary to assign revenue cases to designated courts thus improving the adjudication of tax cases.
He said that by implication improving revenue collection from tax defaulters in the state.
The dean said that J4A supported the very first Chief Judge’s retreat, an informal but closed meeting with key persons and contacts within the sector.
The programme was funded by the UK Department for International Development and is managed by the British Council. (NAN)
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Edited by Grace Yussuf